What are the functions and effects of Chenopodium ambrosioides (Mexican tea)?

Chenopodium ambrosioides (Mexican tea) typically has functions and effects such as expelling parasites, promoting digestion, antibacterial and anti-inflammatory actions, clearing heat and detoxifying, and relieving wind-damp. Detailed analysis is as follows:

1. Expelling Parasites

The components of Chenopodium ambrosioides can paralyze the nervous system of parasites, causing them to lose their ability to adhere, and eventually be excreted from the body through feces. Therefore, it is also used as a natural anthelmintic drug, effectively eliminating intestinal parasites such as roundworms and pinworms.

2. Promoting Digestion

Chenopodium ambrosioides is also used to promote digestion, especially for conditions such as food stagnation and indigestion. It can stimulate the secretion of gastric juice, accelerate digestion and absorption of food, and also relieve gastrointestinal spasms, alleviating discomfort symptoms such as bloating and abdominal pain. This effect is attributed to the mild stimulating action of the volatile oil in Chenopodium ambrosioides on gastrointestinal smooth muscle.

3. Antibacterial and Anti-inflammatory

The components in Chenopodium ambrosioides have strong antibacterial activity, capable of inhibiting the growth of various bacteria, such as Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. Therefore, Chenopodium ambrosioides can play a positive role in the prevention and treatment of certain bacterial infectious diseases. In addition, its anti-inflammatory effects also help alleviate localized symptoms such as redness, swelling, heat, and pain caused by infections.

4. Clearing Heat and Detoxifying

Chenopodium ambrosioides contains multiple bioactive components that can eliminate internal heat toxins and provide some relief for symptoms such as sore throat and oral ulcers caused by heat toxicity.

5. Relieving Wind-Damp

Chenopodium ambrosioides can accelerate the elimination of wind and damp pathogens from the body, showing good therapeutic effects on symptoms such as rheumatic pain, joint stiffness, and lumbago with knee weakness. It can also be used to treat conditions like common cold with fever, rheumatoid arthritis, and eczema caused by the invasion of wind and damp pathogens into the body.

However, it should also be noted that Chenopodium ambrosioides is toxic, and dosage should be carefully controlled to avoid overdose. Additionally, pregnant women and individuals with weak constitutions should use it cautiously, and it should not be taken together with medications such as naphthalene, male fern, or santonin.